Process for mechanically opening the bran



Patented Jan. 12, 1937 PATENT OFFICE PROCESS FOR MECHANICALLY OPENING THE BRAN Efraim Rabinowitsch, Paris, France, assignor to Nomolas Limited, London, England No Drawing. Application September 20, 1932, Serial No. 634,081. In Germany September 23,

.1 Claim. (01. s3 2s Processes for mechanically opening the bran by intensive milling are well known.

The milling of the tough and resisting substances of the peripheral layers of the grain,

5 however, required a tremendous power which caused such a rise of temperature, that the enzymatic properties were lost completely. The a1- bumen in the gel condition was caused to coagulate and the final product was so to say milled dead.

The known process of mechanically opening the bran by wet milling has had little success only, because, as will be explained later on, it is impossible to cause the aleurone cells to swell by softening the bran, even by softening in limecontaining water, without which swelling the milling is, as far as the opening of the aleurone cells comes into consideration, of nearly no use.

The process according to the invention differs from the processes known and described hitherto in this, that the bran is subjected to a mechanical milling not in a wet condition only, but also in a swollen condition, whereby the disadvantages of the dry milling are completely avoided and an opening of the aleurone cells which have been caused to swell, is obtained in such a manner, that the valuable albumen and lipoids are made available.

If the aleurone cell of the dead-ripe grain is examined, it will be noted, that the fat-containing interior of the cell is completely filled with albumen in the gel condition and surrounded by a very strong and resisting husk, representing a semi-permeable diaphragm.

If the cell is brought into contact with an excess of water, the albumen in the gel condition, contrary to expectation, cannot be caused to swell.

The reason for this is, that, even if only a trace of water has come into contact with the albumen, the change of the albumen from the gel to the sol condition begins. This process, however, is accompanied by a tremendous increase of volume. The strong husk offers considerable rev sistance to this eifort of expansion, whereby the pressure in the interior of the cell is increased to such an extent, that the further penetration of water is rendered impossible.

This also is the reason for the fact, that the aleurone layer cannot be digested by the human stomach and that Professor Lindner came to the following conclusion: The aleurone cells pass the alimentary canal like soldered tins which do not give off any of their contents. If the cells would not have such thick walls which resist the chyle, they would represent a Very valuable addition in the bread.

For this reason it is, moreover, impossible to mechanically open the dry or the wet aleurone cell which only is obtained by milling cells which have been caused to swell.

To cause in aleurone cells the swelling of the albumen in the gel condition, it is suiiicient, to exert a pressure upon the water which permanently is greater than the continuously increasing interior pressure of the aleurone cell caused by the swelling of the albumen.

This may easily be obtained by introducing the bran together with water in excess into a closeable vessel and subjecting these substances to a continuously increasing pressure, whereby, in spite of the increasing pressure in the interior of the cell, always fresh water is introduced to cause further swelling of the albumen.

After this treatment only the bran is subjected to a mechanical milling and the soldered tins are opened, because now, during the compression of the cell between the rollers, the albumen, ren dered movable, is more and more compressed upwardly, whereby the final result is obtained, that the cell which has been caused to swell, is torn.

The material treated in this manner may then, together with a corresponding amount of flour, either in wet condition or after drying, directly be baked to wholemeal bread or be used for pastes or fodder purposes.

What I claim is:

A process for mechanically opening bran, having albumen containing cells surrounded by tough aleurone layers which consists in introducing bran and an excess of water into a closeable vessel, producing a continuously increasing pressure in said vessel to cause a portion of said water to penetrate into said cells, keeping said pressure permanently higher than the pressure produced in the interior of said cells by contact of the water with the albumen, whereby said cells and said aleurone layers are caused to swell, and milling said cells in the swollen condition.

EFRAIM RABINOWITSCH. 

